The Blessing Revealed
by Brithna
Summary: Miranda pops the question-and yes I know I said I wasn't doing a second part to THE BLESSING...but HERE IT IS!


Title: The Blessing Revealed 

Beta: Peetsden (LJ)

Pairing: Miranda/ Andy – duh

Disclaimer: I don't own them but I wish I did.

Summary/Inspiration: Okay…I know I said _**The Blessing**_ was a one shot—but I couldn't resist...again. In light of that fact, I'm not saying this is Part 2. This is just…a second story…another one shot. :o)I had fun with this and pay homage to Emily Blunt and a certain movie she's in that I absolutely love. Anyway—Miranda finally takes care of business. I hope you all enjoy it.

The Blessing Revealed

Three weeks later Miranda had still not popped the question. Honestly, there had not been time. It seemed like the entire household was in upheaval these days.

Shortly after Miranda returned home from Cincinnati, Andrea left for a conference which lasted four days. During which time the twins became complete monsters, of course, forcing Miranda to her wits end.

Miranda wasn't quite sure when her parenting skills had taken a decided nose dive, but the twin's undying need to fight over clothes, music, boys, and on and on was slowly killing her. She even went so far as to have a conference call with Andrea and the girls. Everyone swore to 'chill out' as Andrea put it, but that commitment only lasted six hours.

Once Andrea came home, the twins calmed down but only just enough to keep Miranda from going completely around the bend. Then everyone decided to get sick, including Andrea and she was a worse patient than the twins.

So between the fighting sisters, the conference, the illness, and Miranda's demands at work, there had just been no time to ask the biggest, more important question in all of Miranda's life.

So now what? Here she was at the office, waiting on Nigel, and staring out the window trying to think of some way to pull this off. Frankly, even if there had been time in the previous three weeks, she probably would not have been able to do it anyway. She had no idea how to go about this.

"Miranda, here are the proofs you asked for. I don't…hello?"

Miranda turned around, "What? Yes…the proofs. Let me see."

Nigel handed them over and Miranda tried to remember why she wanted to see them in the first place. "I don't like the lighting here…it needs to be softer. Do something with that."

Nigel nodded in agreement then sat down across from her. "I'll see what can be done. There are a few more you should take a look at but that can wait."

Miranda looked at him over her glasses and sighed. "Wait for what? I don't have time to wait."

"Just until we discuss this one tiny little issue, then you may do as you please."

"Don't I always?" Where was this conversation about to go?

"When are you going to ask her?"

Oh for the love of God. Not this. She should have _never_ told him. "I don't know. I haven't decided."

"No darling, it's not that you haven't decided, its' that you don't know how. Am I right?"

Miranda rolled her eyes. "Right. I have no idea how to do this. I mean I have ideas but..."

"Tell me one."

"Paris...I was thinking of taking her to Paris...or somewhere else…you know. Romantic."

"That won't do it. Don't get me wrong, that is a fabulous idea and I'm sure she would love to go. But that won't do it."

"What do you mean? How could it not? Who wouldn't want to be proposed to in Paris of all places?"

"Think about this for a second. You know as well as I do that she always adores everything you do for her and all you give her. The same holds true for all the places you take her. Always has been…you've never gone wrong. But think about it…when you went all out for a night of dinner and dancing last year for Valentine's Day she was over the moon about it. But this year things were too crazy and you canceled the dinner and surprised her at work instead? You rode the subway with her and took her to the park for lunch. You know she called me twice about that."

"She did?"

"Yes, she did. And when you took her to Italy for her birthday the first year you were together? She absolutely loved it…but think about the one after that. You spent the day with her at home instead of coming to work and then you took her to see a movie that night with the twins? She called me twice about that too."

"Okay, okay, what is the point here? Is there point?"

Nigel sighed in exasperation. "Yes my dear, there is a point. Keep it simple. No Paris. She would love it either way but I think if you go for simple instead, it would mean more. She can't help herself. She loves it when you do the unexpected _normal_ thing because she knows how difficult that can be for you sometimes." Nigel got up from his chair and headed toward the door then turned. "Just start at the beginning."

Miranda leaned back in her chair and turned back toward the window again as he walked out. Start at the beginning? What did that mean? The beginning of _what_? Miranda covered her eyes with her hand. She hated being clueless.

Wait. Wait…the beginning? Miranda swung her chair back around and franticly started searching her laptop for just that very thing: The Beginning. Miranda scrolled through several folders of pictures until she found what she was looking for. It was a picture of she and Andrea and Miranda had an actual smile on her face. A real smile.

It was taken in the kitchen of Paul Blake's bistro. What a crazy night that had been. Miranda met Paul Blake at a party a year before this picture was taken. He was just a caterer back then but he was charming and very polite. Genuinely polite, which caught Miranda's eye. She spoke with him for five minutes and found out everything she needed to know. He didn't have his own restaurant, but Miranda being Miranda, saw no logical reason why he shouldn't. And since Miranda always got what she wanted; she offered up her checkbook and they became partners. Within six months Paul Blake had his own little restaurant and Miranda had something new to play with.

For the most part she kept her nose out of everything simply because she didn't want anyone to know that she was the one backing him. But every now and then she stopped by to eat in the kitchen and they would discuss how things were going. He was very open and honest with her and took her temperament in stride, which was more than she could say for most people.

On this particular visit Miranda decided to make it a surprise. She liked to catch him unaware but that was turning out to be pointless because he ran such a tight ship. This time _Miranda_ would be the one caught unaware because standing right there in the kitchen eating strawberries no less, was Andrea.

It turned out that Paul's brother was a co-worker of Andrea's and she stopped by often to eat after work. What a surprise. Miranda started to leave but Paul insisted that she stay. So she stayed, totally against her better judgment.

Soon, Miranda and Andrea found themselves long forgotten by the kitchen staff and left to their own devices. Never once did they speak about Runway or Paris or anything even remotely related to fashion. It was as if they were meeting for the first time.

Miranda couldn't really remember what they _did _talk about that night, everything was a blur, and before she realized it Paul was snapping pictures, and someone opened another bottle of wine, and she was actually eating some sort of dessert.

As if all this wasn't bad enough, she offered to walk Andrea to the subway station since she refused to allow Miranda to drive her home; and after all, the subway station was only a few blocks away. Miranda couldn't remember what they talked about along the way but she sure as hell remembered what happened after they reached the station. Instead of just simply saying goodbye, like any other _normal_ person would have done, Miranda kissed her. It started out as a kiss on the cheek but turned into something much worse, or better, depending on how you looked at it. Miranda wasn't even sure why she had done it but soon realized that it didn't matter, because Andrea was kissing her back.

So there it was- the beginning was essentially in Paul Blake's kitchen. But seriously, could Miranda bring herself to propose to Andrea in the back of some restaurant? Even if it technically was Miranda's restaurant?

Miranda drummed her fingers on the desk repeatedly as she sifted through the possible scenarios. Yes, yes maybe it could work. Besides, it didn't really matter what Miranda thought about it anyway. It was more about Andrea's reaction. Practically every time they went to Paul's, Andrea would spend nearly the entire night recounting that one single evening. Yes. This would work.

By the next afternoon Miranda had everything set. Paul knew they were coming and why. He was ecstatic and she threatened bodily harm if he let on that anything was amiss once they arrived. He assured her that he could keep his cool and promised to be on his best behavior. Miranda decided that one day she would have to admit to Paul that he wasn't nearly as aggravating as she claimed him to be. But that could wait.

Now all she had to do was get Andrea out the door which was no easy feat since she now had some new deadline to meet. Miranda would burn a sacrifice in thanks the day Andrea finally turned to writing freelance full-time because tonight, _The Mirror_ was seriously testing Miranda's patience.

"Darling, we really should go, Paul is expecting us." Well that was stupid. When had Paul ever _expected_ them? Andrea would realize something was up right away if Miranda kept going on like that. Thank God she was so engrossed in finishing her article that she didn't even comprehend what Miranda was saying.

"I know…I'm almost done here. I swear."

"You know I hate to wait." Miranda tapped her fingers on the door frame of Andrea's office. She was extremely thankful that this room was on the third floor where no guests ever went. It was a complete abomination compared to Miranda's study.

"I know you hate to wait but think about all the times I have waited on _you_ in four years honey."

Okay, that shut Miranda up, rolling her eyes she headed downstairs. There was absolutely _no_ point in arguing over that statement. Ten minutes later Andrea appeared and they were on their way.

"God, I hope Paul has some of that cherry ice-cream he made last time we were there. That stuff was phenomenal."

Yes, Paul would have the cherry ice-cream ready along with the chocolate cake Andrea liked to eat with it. Miranda had made sure of it. "I'm sure he will darling. He did say it was quite popular did he not?"

"Yeah I think he did. Why are you driving so slowly? Are you ok?"

Because she couldn't concentrate on the road that's why and there certainly was no need to wreck her new Porsche. "I am not driving slowly. There is a fair amount of traffic, see?" Miranda waved a hand in front of her.

"Hm…if you say so. Hey, did Caroline tell you about her math test? We have _got _to get that girl a tutor, or else."

"No, she conveniently failed to mention that fact this afternoon. How bad was it?" Caroline was going to die very soon because she had just recently informed Miranda that she was doing 'totally awesome' in her algebra class.

"Bad."

"Fabulous. Remind me to talk to her about it later. We'll find someone. At this point I'm not asking for an A. I'll settle for a C if that's what gets her through it. Why could you not have passed on some of your genius math skills to her? Would that have been too much for you? It would have certainly gone a long way to making my life easier."

"Funny. Unfortunately, I did not give birth to her. However, I did find the time to pass along my English skills to Cassidy so let's just be happy with that. Besides, I've seen your high school report cards so let's not go there with the math thing." Andy laughed and tried to take Miranda's hand but was met with a playful slap instead.

"That is of no importance here. I could kill my mother for showing you those…."

They both suddenly grew quiet and gripped hands. Miranda's mother died last year and it was still not an easy thing for Miranda to talk about or even acknowledge. Considering what she was about to do, it was even harder to think about. Miranda's mother would have loved to see this day for she had chided Miranda on more than one occasion for not making an 'honest woman out of that girl'.

Miranda let out a heavy sigh. "Alright, here we are. Enough talk about the girls. It will ruin my appetite. They infuriate me these days."

Andrea patted her hand. "So I've noticed. Try being in my shoes for one fight between the three of you and see how that feels. Trust me; you wouldn't want to be me."

Miranda scoffed. "Oh, really? We'll see about that the next time they rifle through your closet and steal everything that isn't nailed down. I'll remind you of this conversation when you get done tearing their heads off."

"Whatever. Kiss me."

Miranda did as she was told and they walked hand-in-hand around to the back of the restaurant.

"Hey, I love you Miranda." Andrea said quietly and stopped her before they walked through the door. Miranda knew where this was coming from and she reached out and kissed her forehead.

"I know darling. I love you too. Thank you." They both nodded to one another and put a smile on their faces.

As soon as they entered the kitchen they were attacked by a much too eager Paul Blake. He immediately toned it down when Miranda cut him a fierce glare. She was quickly forgetting about her earlier thoughts of telling Paul he wasn't aggravating.

Andrea tossed their coats and bags into Paul's office and made a b-line for the walk in freezer.

"Paul! Where is my cherry ice-cream? Please tell me you made some." And here we go. She was having desert first. Miranda shook her head and took a seat at a stainless steel counter that was tucked out of the way.

"Darling, really. Must you?"

Andrea came out of the freezer with a container of ice-cream and Paul handed her a spoon and bowl.

"Yes, I must. I can't help it."

"Here Andy, I made the chocolate cake too."

"You're my new favorite person."

Miranda bumped her shoulder as she sat down next to her. "So I've been moved aside?"

Andrea licked the spoon and replied "No, you have the permanent spot at the top. I promise."

Over dinner they ended up discussing the girls after all. It could hardly be helped as Paul wanted to discuss having Caroline come down and help out on the weekends. The girl was constantly pestering Miranda about wanting to 'intern' with Paul. She could cook anything you wanted but she could not tell you why A+B equaled C. Miranda agreed so long as her math skills improved. She was basically ready to try anything.

Paul finally went away to tend to the last few guests in the restaurant and left them in peace.

"God, I thought he would never leave."

"Come on honey, you know you like him. You may never admit it, but you do like him."

Miranda shook her head. "There's a small possibility."

Andrea rolled her eyes and Miranda suddenly got nervous. Dinner was over and Andrea had already had dessert so that left only one thing to do. As luck would have it, Paul came back in and Miranda asked him for some coffee. That was the sign. Paul poured two cups and suggested everyone go out back for a break. Everyone scampered out of the kitchen and Miranda sat tapping her fingers on the stainless steel counter feeling like an idiot.

"Are you okay?" Andy put a hand on top of hers to quiet the drumming sound.

"Yes…yes I'm _fine_. I'll be right back." Miranda slid off the bar stool and Andrea gave her a funny look. "I said I'm fine will you stop that."

"If you say so."

Instead of heading in the direction of the small bathroom down the hall, Miranda went into Paul's office and quietly shut the door. She went through her bag until she found the ring box and stuck it in her pocket. "Okay…okay, you can do this. It's not that hard and it is not like she will say no. Just go out there and do what you came here to do." With that internal pep-talk, Miranda took a deep breath and headed back to the table.

Only this time she did not sit back down. Miranda came up behind Andrea and turned her around on her barstool.

"Hey."

"Hey." Miranda wrapped her arms around her and held her tightly for a moment. "I love you darling."

"I love you too but I still say something's wrong." She leaned in and gave Miranda a long, slow kiss.

"I told you I'm fine. Stop worrying." Miranda pulled away just a bit and left her hands to rest on Andrea's hips as she kissed her forehead. "I have something I would like to talk to you about."

"Oh, boy. I knew something was wrong."

"Oh for the love of God, nothing is wrong. Now will you please stop interrupting me?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. Go ahead. I'm all ears."

Miranda looked at her intently causing Andrea to focus and shut her mouth. "Andrea, you know that I love you, correct? And you know that you mean everything to me?"

Andrea caressed Miranda's cheek "Yes, I know that."

"And you know that you save me from myself on a daily, sometimes hourly basis…you know that don't you? Even when I don't do a very good job of letting you know?" At this point Miranda was looking down at the hands she was now holding, unable to look up out of sheer nerves.

Andrea lifted her chin up with a finger and forced her to meet her eyes. "Yes, I know that too. Even when you think you're not, you really do try hard and I love you for it." This got Miranda another light kiss.

"And you know that…you know that I cannot be without you. Ever. And you know that you make me very happy, everyday, all the time, right?"

"Yes, I know that Miranda. You know you do the same for me…everyday."

Miranda leaned her forehead against Andrea's and paused for a brief moment. Perhaps Kathleen had been right because Miranda was feeling extremely light headed.

"Darling, there is just one more thing that I need." Miranda took a deep breath and lifted her head up. "It would make me…it would make me happier than anything…too happy really... if you would agree to what I wish…and marry me."

Before Andrea could speak, Miranda pulled the box out of her pocket and opened it. "I have this for you…if you…I thought you would like it." Miranda was about to say something else but was stopped by Andrea's arms around her neck.

"Yes…yes I will marry you. I will…I will marry you right here in this kitchen if you want."

"Well, darling I'm not sure tha…" Andrea cut her words off with a kiss. It was the kind of kiss that would normally cause Miranda to strip her of every stitch of clothing but this was clearly not the place for it. Which was extremely annoying. Miranda regretfully pulled away. "Not here…I haven't even put the ring on you yet."

"Okay…okay, you're right." Andrea sat up straight and cleared her throat, trying to regain a little composure.

Miranda pulled the ring out of the box with a shaking hand and slipped it on her finger. It wasn't until then that Andrea realized what she was actually looking at. Tears immediately fell from her eyes. " Wait…Oh, my God. How did you…when did you?"

Now it was time to explain the very thing she didn't want to explain. Hopefully Andrea was happy enough that it wouldn't matter. "Well you see a few weeks ago…when I told you on the phone that I had a few more meetings? I did not. I went to your parent's house."

"Oh, wow."

"Wow indeed. I…I asked them for their blessing." By now Andrea was crying a little harder, which Miranda had expected and pulled a tissue out of her pocket. "I asked for their blessing and they agreed. Your father gave me this. I am sure that you know where it came from."

"Yes…yes I do. I love this ring. So you actually went to my parent's house? To ask for their blessing? To marry me?"

"Yes, yes, and yes. I know that I swore to you that I would never lie, but I hope that you see that it was for a good reason."

"It is...Don't ever do it again, but it _is_ a good reason." Andrea laid her head on Miranda's shoulder and tried to catch her breath while Miranda held her.

Then out of nowhere Miranda thought about the one thing she prayed that would not enter her mind during this whole process. Her mother. She went a little slack in their shared embrace.

Andrea did not move but whispered in her ear. "She would be very happy for you. She _was _very happy for you. You know that, right?" Leave it to Andrea to already know what was on her mind before she even said anything.

"I know. I'm sorry. I know this is not…"

"Shh…don't. I think it's a perfect time. She blesses us every day, why would today or this situation be any different?"

Miranda pulled away slightly and kissed her eyes still wet with tears. "You're right. You always are."

Andrea laughed and kissed her "I know. Let's go home. By the way you are never getting rid of this restaurant."

"That sounds like a lovely idea on both counts."

Miranda called Paul back inside. He nearly died from happiness and insisted that, much to Miranda's disapproval, Andrea take the ice-cream and chocolate cake home with her. But then again it really didn't matter.

Nothing mattered but the blessings that they would continue to receive from loving one another and from those that loved them.

THE END-Seriously I swear….I am NOT doing the wedding—I refuse!


End file.
